Fifteen years ago today in Las Vegas, the world arguably saw the great Manny Pacquiao put on his finest career performance. Facing the superb Miguel Cotto at welterweight, Manny having moved up from lightweight a little under a year before, the southpaw dynamo from the Philippines was now at the peak of his immense powers. Cotto was the reigning WBO welterweight champion, and he had bounced back from his July 2008 stoppage loss to Antonio Margarito.
But against Pacquiao, Cotto, though unbelievably and so admirably game, was to be taken apart, piece by piece.
The fight was dubbed ‘Firepower,’ and it took place at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Pacquiao was coming off a frightening knockout of Ricky Hatton, and the 30-year-old was 49-3-2(37). Oh, and Pacquiao had already won world titles at six weights. Cotto was coming off a decision win over Joshua Clottey, and the 29-year-old from Puerto Rico was 34-1(27).
Cotto had agreed to weigh in at 145 pounds, two pounds below the welterweight limit. For a few rounds, Cotto was able to dance with Pacquiao, to live with him, to test him. But at the midway stage of the fight, with his ferocious combination of speed and power, his relentless aggression, and his punches thrown from unpredictable, even crazy angles, Manny took over and proceeded to give the braver-than-brave Cotto a beating.
Pacquiao, who had torn through the weights as a typhoon tore through a village, also had a fine chin for whenever something got through from the naturally bigger man. The naturally bigger man? Pacquiao, who started his pro career at a lowly 106 pounds, had been facing naturally bigger adversaries for some time now. And Pac-Man was eating them up.
Pacquiao dropped Cotto in round three, this with a right hand. Cotto was more seriously hurt in round four when he was decked by a left hook to the head. For just under three rounds it had been a great fight, a competitive fight. Now it was a case of how much Cotto could withstand. Because Pacquiao would not stop coming, he would not get tired, his brutal, beautiful attack would not fade.
Cotto was busted up badly by the ninth, his face swollen, his blood on the canvas. But Cotto would not quit, and his corner would not rescue him. Pacquiao, who seemingly had limitless reserves of stamina the way Cotto seemingly had limitless guts and courage, finally got the stoppage win in the 12th and final round, as Pacquiao battered an exhausted and beaten-up Cotto to the stoppage after 55 seconds of the session.
Pacquiao was without any doubt the best fighter on the planet, pound-for-pound. Or was he? Only Floyd Mayweather Junior could be superior, but would these two modern, indeed all-time greats fight one another? This was THE burning question in the sport, as it had been for some months. The fight would have to happen; it just had to.
It did, eventually, in 2015, when Pacquiao suffered defeat when he had slowed down and was nothing like the sheer force of nature he had been. Had Pacquiao, who dominated Cotto and who had all but decapitated Hatton, fought Mayweather, well, we will never know……..
Today, though, 15 years ago, Manny Pacquiao may well have given us his finest, most impressive ring display.
